Elephants 101

As the world's largest land mammal, elephants have quite the commanding presence. But did you know elephants can't jump? Or that baby elephants lose their first set of teeth and tusks, just like humans? Learn about both Asian and African elephants and the threats facing these highly intelligent animals today.

You might already know that elephants are large and majestic, but the extent of their size and intelligence may surprise you.

FACT 1: Elephants’ enormous size limits their movement.

Elephants are the largest living land animal.On average, African elephants are about 10 feet at the shoulder and weigh up to 18,000 lbs. The largest elephant in recorded history, however, was 13 feet tall and weighed about 24,000lbs.

To sustain this massive size, an adult elephant has to consume an enormous amount -- up to 50 gallons of water and about 220 pounds of food (or approximately 70,000 calories) every day.

Elephants’ size, however, ends up restricting their movement. While they can walk and swim, elephants are one of the few mammals that can’t jump.

Their legs are too slender to propel their enormous weight upward. Plus, elephants don’t have any spring in their legs, since they stand on their toes.

FACT 2: Elephants are intelligent creatures.

One sign of their intellect is their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. The only other animals capable of doing this are humans, great apes, dolphins, and magpies.

Intelligence is also found in elephants’ ability to problem-solve with tools.

But probably the most well-known form of elephant intelligence is their superb memory. As they migrate from place to place throughout their lives, elephants can remember locations of water sources along their migration routes.

FACT 3: Elephants are the only living animals with long trunks.

Trunks, which are a combination of a nose and upper lip, can be heavy and powerful. They contain about 150,000 muscle units and can weigh nearly 300 pounds.

While an elephant’s trunk can lift objects nearly twice its size, it’s also adept at picking up small objects. Flaplike projections on the end of a trunk are precise enough to pick up individual berries or leaves.

Outside of grasping, elephants also use their trunks to greet and reassure one another. They may intertwine their trunks or touch the face of other elephants to show affection.

FACT 4: Elephant tusks are essentially giant teeth.

Much like human teeth, elephant tusks are made of material called dentin. The major difference is that elephant dentin has a diamond pattern that makes it super strong and gives it luster.

Young elephants even go through a set of "baby" teeth, but theirs include baby tusks. They fall out after about a year and are replaced with a permanent set that can grow 6 feet long and weigh 50 pounds each.

Unfortunately, elephants have been illegally hunted for their tusks. Demand for ivory products (which are made from tusks) has caused elephant populations to decline.

FACT 5: African elephants are not endangered -- but their Asian cousins are.

African elephants are listed as Vulnerable and some countries in southern Africa are even experiencing an overpopulation of African elephants.

Asian elephant populations have decreased immensely. The species’ habitat once stretched across Asia from Syria to northern China. But today, they only exist in isolated pockets between India and Indonesia.

Habitat fragmentation, poaching for ivory, and conflict with local farmers are all factors that put elephant populations at risk.

But by studying the complicated nature of conservation, we can come closer to finding a way that both people and elephants (with their exceptional intelligence and larger-than-life presence) can peacefully co-exist.

Elephants 101

As the world's largest land mammal, elephants have quite the commanding presence. But did you know elephants can't jump? Or that baby elephants lose their first set of teeth and tusks, just like humans? Learn about both Asian and African elephants and the threats facing these highly intelligent animals today.